Demography of Sheffield
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The latest () population estimate for the
City of Sheffield The City of Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England. The metropolitan borough includes the administrative centre of Sheffield, the town of Stocksbridge and larger village of Chapeltown and part of the Peak ...
is residents. This represents an increase of about 17,000 people since the last census in 2011. In the 21st century the city has undergone a population growth above that of the national average, and is projected to increase to over 600,000 by 2020. This can largely be attributed to immigration and relatively high birth rates.


Population

People from Sheffield (or 'Sheffielders') are colloquially known to residents of the surrounding towns of Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Chesterfield as "dee-dars", which derives from the traditional pronunciation of the "th" in the dialectal words "thee" and "thou", still used, especially by older people, in South Yorkshire. It had largely died out by the time of the
Survey of English Dialects The Survey of English Dialects was undertaken between 1950 and 1961 under the direction of Professor Harold Orton of the English department of the University of Leeds. It aimed to collect the full range of speech in England and Wales before loca ...
.
Many
Yorkshire dialect The Yorkshire dialect (also known as Broad Yorkshire, Tyke, Yorkie or Yorkshire English) is a dialect of English, or continuum of dialects, spoken in the Yorkshire region of Northern England. The dialect has roots in Old English and is influen ...
words and aspects of pronunciation derive from old Norse due to the Viking influence in this region. As with many British cities, the major period of growth in Sheffield's population occurred during the
industrial revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
, when the city attracted large numbers of people looking for work in the local industries (particularly the cutlery and steel industries). In 1801 the population of the Parish of Sheffield was 45,755, by 1891 the population of the soon-to-be City of Sheffield (which covered the same area) was 325,547. Through most of the 20th century, despite the decline in manufacturing jobs from the 1970s onwards, the population remained relatively stable at about 515,000. This was due in part to the efforts made by the city to bring in white collar jobs.


Ethnicity

The following table shows the ethnic group of respondents in the 2001 and 2011 censuses in Sheffield. Notes for table above By far the largest
ethnic group An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...
in Sheffield is what the 2011 census classified as
White British White British is an ethnicity classification used for the native white population identifying as English, Scottish, Welsh, Cornish, Northern Irish, or British in the United Kingdom Census. In the 2011 census, the White British population wa ...
—white people of British ancestry, who make up about 81% of the city's population, an 8% drop from 2001. The remaining percentage of city's population includes a diverse range of ethnic backgrounds. Between the 1991 and 2001 census the minority ethnic population in Sheffield grew by more than 80%.


South Asians

The
South Asian South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, ...
ethnic group which is people of
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n,
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
i and
Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( bn, বাংলাদেশী ) are the citizens of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centered on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the eponymous bay. Bangladeshi citizenship was formed in 1971, when the ...
origin is the second largest ethnic group in the city comprising 32,400 people, with Pakistanis forming the largest group at 16,800 people. The community is mainly centred in the
Sharrow Sharrow is a suburb of Sheffield located directly southwest of Sheffield city centre. The district lies within the Nether Edge and Sharrow ward of the City. Sharrow Ward's back to back terraced housing in ''Little Sheffield'' was redevelo ...
,
Burngreave Burngreave is an inner city district of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England lying north of the city centre. The population of the ward taken at the 2011 census was 27,481. It started to develop in the second half of the 19th century. Prior t ...
,
Darnall Darnall is a suburb of eastern Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Darnall is approximately east-north-east of Sheffield city centre. History Darnall was initially a small hamlet usually included with Attercliffe. William Walker, a resident ...
and
Attercliffe Attercliffe is an industrial suburb of northeast Sheffield, England on the south bank of the River Don. The suburb falls in the Darnall ward of Sheffield City Council. History The name Attercliffe can be traced back as far as an entry in t ...
areas where there are many
mosques A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, i ...
,
temples A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
, community centres,
Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
cinemas and Asian clothes and food stores. The Sheffield South Asian community has a large influence on the city with a number of Asian politicians making up members of
Sheffield City Council Sheffield City Council is the city council for the metropolitan borough of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It consists of 84 councillors, elected to represent 28 wards, each with three councillors. It is currently under No Overall Contr ...
. There are several large multi-cultural festivals throughout the year, as well as many Asian markets and restaurants scattered around the city.


Somalis and Ethiopians

The Sheffield Somali community is the second largest and one of the oldest in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, with the first Somalis having arrived in Britain during the interwar period and more arriving, particularly to work in the city's steel industry, between the 1940s and 1960s. Most of the current population however have settled in Sheffield since the 1980s due to unrest and drought in their homeland. According to the
Department for Communities and Local Government The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), formerly the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for housing, communities, local government ...
, estimates of the Somali community made between 2003 and 2007 ranged from 3,000 to 5,000. Based on data from the
Information Centre about Asylum and Refugees The Information Centre about Asylum and Refugees (ICAR) was an organisation involved in academic research and information provision on asylum seekers and refugees in the United Kingdom. Founded in 2000, ICAR was initially based at King's College L ...
, the
International Organization for Migration The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a United Nations agency that provides services and advice concerning migration to governments and migrants, including internally displaced persons, refugees, and migrant workers. The IOM was ...
gave an estimate of 10,000 in 2006. The number of people living Sheffield who were born in Somalia recorded by the
2011 UK Census A census of the population of the United Kingdom is taken every ten years. The 2011 census was held in all countries of the UK on 27 March 2011. It was the first UK census which could be completed online via the Internet. The Office for National ...
was 2,372. According to community leaders, there were around 1,500 Ethiopians living in Sheffield in 2006.


Black Caribbeans

The
Black Caribbean Afro-Caribbean people or African Caribbean are Caribbean people who trace their full or partial ancestry to Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of the modern African-Caribbeans descend from Africans taken as slaves to colonial Caribbean via the t ...
population in Sheffield is one of the largest in
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
with 9,100 people claiming Black Caribbean ancestry. There are no specific concentration of people in specific areas, although large communities do exist in
Sharrow Sharrow is a suburb of Sheffield located directly southwest of Sheffield city centre. The district lies within the Nether Edge and Sharrow ward of the City. Sharrow Ward's back to back terraced housing in ''Little Sheffield'' was redevelo ...
,
Burngreave Burngreave is an inner city district of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England lying north of the city centre. The population of the ward taken at the 2011 census was 27,481. It started to develop in the second half of the 19th century. Prior t ...
and Netherthorpe. Also in these areas are many Afro Caribbean restaurants, hair stylists, food stores and community centres the most notable being SADACCA located on
The Wicker The Wicker is an arterial street in Sheffield, England noted for its history and viaduct that crosses it, the Grade II* listed ''Wicker Arches''. It runs in a north-east to south-westerly direction between Lady's Bridge and the Wicker Arches. ...
. Famous Afro Caribbean Sheffielders include: Steve Edwards,
Jessica Ennis Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill (born 28 January 1986) is a British retired track and field athlete from England, specialising in multi-eventing disciplines and 100 metres hurdles. As a competitor in heptathlon, she is the 2012 Olympic champion, ...
,
Johnny Nelson Ivanson Ranny "Johnny" Nelson (born 4 January 1967) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1986 to 2005, and has since worked as a boxing analyst. He is currently the longest reigning world cruiserweight champion of all time, ...
,
Oona King Oona Tamsyn King, Baroness King of Bow (born 22 October 1967) is a business executive and former British Labour Party politician. She was a Labour Member of Parliament for Bethnal Green and Bow from 1997 until 2005. Early life Oona King was ...
.


Black Africans

Black Africans are one of the newest and fastest growing ethnic groups in the city, with the majority being immigrants from war-torn or politically unstable countries. Most Black Africans tend to use Afro-Caribbean stores and community centres instead of starting up their own centres and stores. The majority of Black Africans live in
Burngreave Burngreave is an inner city district of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England lying north of the city centre. The population of the ward taken at the 2011 census was 27,481. It started to develop in the second half of the 19th century. Prior t ...
and are mainly from
Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
,
Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...
,
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
, the
Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
,
Burundi Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...
and
Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...
. The number of Black Africans living in Sheffield in 2006 was 8,300.


East Europeans

There has been a large East European Community in Sheffield since the 1940s, when many
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
citizens settled in the city instead of returning to their homeland. A Polish Consulate was opened in Sheffield in 1997 in honour of this. The Sheffield East European community has grown substantially since 2004 when several East European countries joined the E.U with the main settlers being from
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
,
Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
and
Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
. In July 2006 the Home Office gave
Sheffield City Council Sheffield City Council is the city council for the metropolitan borough of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It consists of 84 councillors, elected to represent 28 wards, each with three councillors. It is currently under No Overall Contr ...
extra funds to look after and house its large new immigrant East European communities. An interesting fact is that the Polish community in Sheffield despite the fact of its small size has own independent internet newspape
Sheffield24.pl
which is active non-stop from 2011.


Chinese

The
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
community is one of the smallest but fastest growing ethnic groups in Sheffield with only 5,900 permanent residents in 2006. The community is significantly larger during term time as many overseas students from
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
,
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
and
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
study at Sheffield's two universities creating a large non-resident community. London Road in
Sharrow Sharrow is a suburb of Sheffield located directly southwest of Sheffield city centre. The district lies within the Nether Edge and Sharrow ward of the City. Sharrow Ward's back to back terraced housing in ''Little Sheffield'' was redevelo ...
is recognized as Sheffield's unofficial Chinatown due to its high concentration of restaurants, supermarkets and other stores. The Sheffield Chinese Community Centre is also based here.


Spanish

Sheffield has one of the largest Spanish-descended populations in the country, with over 3,000 Sheffielders of Spanish ancestry. Most origins in the city are from migration in the 20th century.


Other Groups

Other ethnic groups of Sheffield include
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
ians,
Kurds ug:كۇردلار Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Ir ...
, Kosovars and
British Yemeni Yemenis in the United Kingdom include citizens and non-citizen immigrants in the United Kingdom of Yemeni ancestry, as well as their descendants. Yemenis have been present in the UK since the 1860s, and are probably the longest-established Muslim ...
who have made Sheffield their home over the years. The Kurds and Kosovars have moved to Sheffield in large numbers over the last ten years, many illegally or as Asylum seekers so the exact number of people of these groups living in the city is unknown. There are an estimated 3,500 - 9,000 Yemenis in Sheffield which is makes it one of the largest community in the UK. Many Yemenis emigrated to Sheffield since 1950. Other small ethnic groups in Sheffield include around 300 people of
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
an ancestry and around 300 people from
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
. Sheffield is one of the UK's major cities that is part of the
Gateway Protection Programme The Gateway Protection Programme was a refugee resettlement scheme operated by the Government of the United Kingdom in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and co-funded by the European Union (EU), offering a ...
that has seen around 120 people from
Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...
and
Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
settle in the city. According to BBC's Born Abroad Sheffield has large clusters of Malaysians and Iranians. Ethnicity of school pupils


Languages

The most common main languages spoken in Sheffield according to the 2011 census are shown below.


Religion

The following table shows the religion of respondents in the 2001, 2011 and 2021 censuses in Sheffield.


See also

* List of famous residents of Sheffield *
Demographics of the United Kingdom The population of the United Kingdom was estimated at over 67.0 million in 2020. It is the 21st most populated country in the world and has a population density of 270 people per square kilometre (700 people per square mile), with England ...
*
Demographics of England The demography of England has since 1801 been measured by the decennial national census, and is marked by centuries of population growth and urbanization. Due to the lack of authoritative contemporary sources, estimates of the population o ...
* Demographics of London * Demographics of Birmingham * Demographics of Greater Manchester *
List of English cities by population Towns and cities in England can be defined either by their local government administrative boundaries or by their physical extent. * List of cities in the United Kingdom, including the 51 cities in England, seven in Scotland, six in Wales, and fi ...
*
List of English districts by population This is a list of the 314 districts of England ordered by population, according to estimated figures for from the Office for National Statistics. The list consists of 188 non-metropolitan districts, 32 London boroughs, 36 metropolitan boroughs, 5 ...
*
List of English districts and their ethnic composition This is a list of districts of England showing their ethnic composition as recorded in the 2021 census. Census respondents were asked "What is your ethnic group? Choose ONE section from A to E, then tick the appropriate box to indicate your cult ...
*
List of English districts by area This is a list of districts of England ordered by area, according to Standard Area Measurements published by the Office for National Statistics The Office for National Statistics (ONS; cy, Swyddfa Ystadegau Gwladol) is the executive office of ...
*
List of English districts by population density This is a list of the districts of England ordered by population density, based on population estimates for from the Office for National Statistics. The densities are calculated by dividing the latest Population Estimate by the Standard Area Measu ...


References


External links


Refugees in Sheffield
{{Sheffield
Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...